A Reconsideration of Colonial Modernization

Abstract

There has been much debate between the exploitation view and the colonial modernization

view on how to assess the consequences of the institutional changes and industrialization

initiated by Japanese colonizers in Korea during the colonial period, and how to identify

what kind of legacies were passed on to Koreas post-liberation period. Recently another view

that criticizes both of the views and focuses instead on social and cultural aspects of colonial

Korea has emerged. This third view, called the colonial modernity view, shares with the

second view in stressing the complicated relations between colonialism and modernity, but

unlike the other views, perceives modernity in a negative sense. This article surveys recent

studies on political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of colonial Korea, and makes clear

the points in which each view diverges from the others. Recognizing that each of the three

views has its own strength and weakness in different aspects of their arguments, this article

explores areas in which they come together in mutual and complementary understanding.